Embedded Files
Washed Ashore the Island of Whiskers
Washed Ashore the Island of Whiskers
This is a beginner quest that is designed to be played in 4 hours, but also comes in parts for shorter game sessions. This is both a modular adventure and a character creation substitute. Rather than taking a session-worth of time to just make characters, new players can create a character throughout the course of playing this adventure, gaining all the usual starting stats thematically during gameplay.
Running a Game
Running a Game
It can be easy to think that being a Game Master is too challenging, but it is really quite fun and easy with Arcane Dominion! Many GMs come up with their own style of dungeon, or monster, or puzzle to engage players with, so the most important guide to GMing Arcane Dominion is getting a grasp for the rules. Anything a player wants their character to do can boil down to some form of Training or Combat Maneuver that the Adventurer Edition rulebook gives great advice on. Crafting and more complex rules are coming soon in the Paragon Edition!
Here's the most important part: to balance EXP, encounters, and Skill Check difficulties... use the party's Level! That's it.
Enemy goblins against a Lv3 party of 6? better make sure there are at least 6 goblins to fight, with 6 points in their stats. Attack? +6! HP? 60! EXP yield? 6. You can throw a bit more at your mid level players too, since you know they will have maxing out some of their stats. Need a Skill Check difficulty? 16 is a good average for Level 6. Don't panic if your players are succeeding with stats they've spent time investing in. THEY SHOULD SUCCEED MOST OF THE TIME. Challenge your players in gauntlets of encounters, or social situations that make them think on their feet. Award more EXP for completing quests and roleplaying. Use this game as a building block to imagine your own world of adventure!
GM Tips:
GM Tips:
Exploit Weakness
Exploit Weakness
Min-Maxing and power-gaming are easy to do with Arcane Dominion's Training system, but do not get overwhelmed by players who suddenly power-spike after a Level Up or week of Training. Remember that for every Max, there is a Min, and this game is balanced for teamwork to cover those bases.
Player Narration
Player Narration
Players may be eager to interrupt your narration or storytelling. This is good engagement and while it is easy to feel frustrated, remember to appreciate their enthusiasm. Politely tell them when you need to finish a paragraph, then address their ideas before resuming.
Rolling is Fun
Rolling is Fun
While roleplaying is half the value of any TTRPG, rolling dice is the other half. Make sure players are aware of their agency over character progression. Training to roll lots of damage dice is rewarding, as is rolling high on Skill Checks. Make your players roll dice often, and they should succeed in what they're good at.
Risk and Reward
Risk and Reward
Critical Successes from rolling a natural 20 are amazing moments, but so are Critical Failures from a natural 1. Don't be afraid of drastic plot twists when the dice swings in one favor or another. Go with the flow of the rolls and expect players to succeed at what they've trained to do.
Make Your NPCs Your Own
Make Your NPCs Your Own
Characters in Arcane Dominion Adventure Modules are left gender neutral for the most part, this is because many GMs will default to what they are most comfortable roleplaying. Therefore please feel free to make any character your own and improvise any details you would like to add!
Cooperative Gaming
Cooperative Gaming
Playing as a team is mission critical, so if you see arguments and frustration reoccurring due to character incompatibility, it is your duty as Game Master to offer a solution that can keep the game running smoothly with players working together. In general, avoid serious PVP, and stealing from players.
Use What You Have
Use What You Have
Expensive miniatures, terrain, and dice are nice to have, but not needed to play. You can play for free using the Public Showcase, one set of dice (free online), and some pencils and paper (character sheet available to print online). Use paper tokens to represent enemies; draw grids on paper to use as battle maps.
Scheduling
Scheduling
Most of the time, one person needs to start the dialogue on when to plan the next session. It is hard for the GM to always be responsible for scheduling, so be upfront with your players and tell them that their input and initiative in helping plan sessions helps keep the game running.
Online Play Guide
Online Play Guide
To play Arcane Dominion online, we recommend using the website roll20.net.
This website allows for TTRPGs to use an online grid that has many resources to build and customize encounters. Players can use paper character sheets, or use online character sheets. An online character sheet will be linked to this page at a later date.
Using a communication and streaming app like Discord or Zoom is also recommended, where the GM can share their screen to play the music of their choice.
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